Bottle of whisky and a campervan
by Stellafanfic
Summary: Set after The Final Chapter. Claire's remembering the night she and Alice gave in to their desires, will they have the chance to be together again? NOW COMPLETE Alice/Claire Rating T for sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

Bottle of whisky and a campervan

(Set a week and then a few months after The Final Chapter. Claire's POV)

It was around a week after releasing the antivirus, when we decided to pull in to a secluded area, allow ourselves a little respite. It had been just the two of us, taking it in turns to sleep on the single bed whilst travelling day and night in a dulled green 1970's Volkswagen campervan. That one night we got to drinking an old bottle of whisky we found in a brewery a few days back and sat side by side on the bed telling stories and laughing until we fell asleep there.

I was conscious of her even when sleeping. I felt her body against me, the weight of her arm on my chest, her mouth almost pressed against my jawline. We woke up together like that, and silently searched one another in the darkness. I understood her intentions before she lifted her head and pressed her mouth onto mine, I translated my desire without words, without a nod or a smile. We'd had many a look like that before, silently, privately, and we'd grown so use to it that sometimes it was all we needed.

We were removing clothes, and exploring newly revealed skin when she paused, her face hovering above mine, her breathing laboured from kissing. I read her thoughts as if spoken clearly from her lips, she was offering a moment of clarity to check this was what I wanted. I answered by gently reaching out for her hand and place it on my breast. It wasn't that she didn't know, we both knew, only we had gotten used to avoiding, and not giving in, maybe even denial. And not to mention that whisky bottle sat half empty on the side.

Her hand slipped between us to unbuckle my belt and I pushed my jeans down over my feet, all the while keeping contact with her lips - we smiled as we kissed, it took great skill, and I still don't know how we managed that!

First her thigh and then her hand, and more specifically her fingers. I was so quick to lose control, that I was embarrassed and laughed softly against the pillow as I recovered below her. She pressed her lips against my ear and whispered, "you want more?" And I felt her lips break into a smile against my cheek. I shifted beneath her, "like I'm never gonna get enough" I said gently before catching her lips and forcing her up into a kneeling position on top of me. I watched her forehead crease, her eyes close, her mouth open as my hand disappeared beyond the lining of her underwear.

I'd seen her body bend and move in a such a way when fighting, seen her hang from ropes, defy gravity, spinning off buildings and all with such elegance and grace, but I wasn't prepared for how beautiful she looked when she lost herself, so venerable, desperate, and honest. Her body with all its scars, cuts and bruises, was driven by my touch. Every look, moan, and thrust.

We fell asleep wrapped up in each other, hot skin, limbs entwined and woke as lovers, recalling moments with smiles as we got ready to drive west. That same day we found survivors who joined us as we drove across country searching for fuel and resources. As the numbers grew so did our focus, we both knew that there was too much work to do.

"Hey" she touches my hand lovingly as she passes me, and looks over her shoulder as she walks on, not a step out of place. I smile, and she arches her eyebrow, and I know she knows what I was thinking about. And I can tell by the way she looks at me, with a sense of promise, and hope, that as soon as we get the basics in place, we will have some time to be together again.


	2. Chapter 2

(Alice's POV)

I'm walking through the hall of the building we're renovating when I see her standing by the entrance staring into the distance towards the campsite. The sunlight creates a soft glow around her and I can't help but stop and take her in. She is wearing a loose black tank top tucked into her waist, her red jacket is on the chair propped up against the wooden door to keep it open. She stands resting one leg out, a hand at the radio on her hip, she always looks so confident, so self-assured even when she's lost in thought.

I approach her from behind, "Hey," I say softly and place my hand on hers as I step around her. She looks up, and instantly I notice something different. Different but familiar. I raise an eyebrow, and she knows that I know exactly what she's been thinking about. I watch her bite her lip as she stands up straight and folds her arms. She's been caught out and I smile wildly for knowing it.

A few hours later I'm heading back to the house when I see her talking to some of the guys marking out the land with string in preparation for farming vegetables. She's pointing towards the house when she catches my eye. We hold eye contact for a second, two, three, and then she lets go but I know it's enough. Enough to know she's still thinking about it. I walk on without disturbing them and head back into the house. For a moment I feel her eyes on me, but I don't look round.

I head upstairs and find the axe sitting with a bunch of tools on a wooden table. The tools were collected over the past few months with the hopes of being able to build whatever we need. When I exit I notice Claire's jacket is no longer on the chair against the door. I stand at the entrance and look out. The group working on the vegetable patch are still there, but Claire isn't. As I walk by I look beyond the green towards the campsite, but of course I'm human now, and its moments like this that remind me that I'm still adapting to life without the T-virus.

I decide to head towards the wooded area as planned to stock up on firewood for this evening but before I get there the radio at my waist crackles, "Alice, do you copy?" It's Claire. I reach down, bring the radio to my mouth,

"Copy. Everything okay?" there's a moments silence,

"Fine…" there's another pause, another crackle "Are you still in the house?" I immediately turn on my feet and head back towards the house.

"What do you need?"

"First aid kit," her voice warps as she speaks, "it's not for me, copy" she reads my thoughts and I smile.

"10-4, I'm on it" a few moments later I exit the house with the kit in hand and reach for the radio, "Claire, what's your location, copy?" There's a crackle, nothing. I'm about to ask again when finally, her voice echo's,

"In the carpark, copy"

"Copy that, over" I start to jog, making my way across the field, into the campsite towards the entrance where a collection of cars are parked, alongside a large cylinder with fuel that Claire syphoned from abandoned vehicles during the past few months.

A small crowd are circling near the four by four, the one which was out today on a day trip in search of supplies and is back early. I head towards them and politely make my way into the centre. I see Claire leaning over someone sitting on the floor with their face in their hands. It isn't until she sits back that I see who it is.

"Chris?" Claire looks up to the sound of my voice, her eyes capture mine as she steps towards me. I sense the shock, the adrenalin in the way she moves, the colour draining from her face. She is as confused as I am. Her fingers touch my elbow gently,

"Kyle and the others bought him in, he said he was walking an A road about 40 miles from here" she explains. I shake my head in disbelief,

"How?" there's a pause as we search one another.

"I don't know" she says softly, and her hand slips away as she reaches for the kit. She says thank you with her eyes before turning and opening it at his side. I step closer and get a better look at him. Besides his full beard I notice his face masked with dirt, and there's an open cut along the length of his right forearm. He looks up from his hunched position, blue eyes piercing, full of anguish, there's a weakness I've never seen in him before.

I look around me and locate Kyle who is a few feet away, quietly I ask him to prepare a change of clothes and place for Chris to rest and recover. Claire glances up as I kneel opposite her on Chris's other side. I place a hand on his shoulder as she unscrews a bottle of whisky. Another of the many bottles we collected from that brewery all those months ago. She lifts it up over the wound when Chris speaks…

"Wait" he says, his voice dry and broken. He reaches up for the bottle, his arm weak, his hand shaking and brings it to his mouth to take a long swig. "Okay" he says whipping his mouth with the back of hand and passes it back to her. I feel his body tense, hear his muffled cries of pain as she soaks the wound. Quickly she wraps a bandage around it, holding my eye as she finishes it with knot. In that one look we convey relief and a sense of guilt for thinking he was dead, and for not finding him sooner.


	3. Chapter 3

(Chris's POV)

I hear a familiar voice and I know who it is before I look up. Alice. Claire stands and meets her, having a quiet word before bringing the first aid box to my side. I can feel Alice's eyes on me and naturally I look up to meet them. She hasn't changed all that much, apart from her clean clothes and her hair which is noticeably longer. We offer a nod to one another – she is glad I am here, and I am glad to see her too.

She and Claire sit either side of me, I note the looks they share, already familiar to their silent conversations I'm pleased to see they're still as tight as they were all those months back. Claire is checking out the cut on my arm – she and I catch one another's eye, we both know it's infected. Seconds later a bottle appears at Claire's side, and I know what's coming.

The sharp sting from the wound brings bile to my throat and makes my skin sweat! No amount of alcohol is going to ease that, but after it's bandaged I reach for it hoping to relieve some of the pain. Claire hands it over with a smirk, and I smile. Suddenly I feel more at home than ever.

I'm helped to my feet and walked towards a large white tent with one arm over each of their shoulder. Inside is a bed with fresh white sheets and a metal side table beside it with a bottle of water, a silver can and spoon. They help me to sit on the bed, sharing another one of those looks as they release their hold on me.

"Okay, I'm going to get back to…" Alice speaks, and Claire nods, there's no need for her to say more, it's clear she's giving us some space. Alice looks at me, "Glad to have you back, Chris" she says warmly and then turns and exits the tent. Claire watches her until she disappears, all the while I'm watching Claire.

"What?" she asks when she sees my quizzical look.

"Something happened between you two?" I ask, my voice croaky, my throat feels like a desert. She looks away, hesitating before answering,

"No" she says softly, now distracting herself with opening the sealed can with a pen knife. I know Claire well, I know her past interests, it isn't impossible especially considering the circumstances that she and Alice would gravitate to one another. In fact, I would have put money on it had we settled on Arcadia. But I also recognise that she is uncomfortable talking about it, so I leave it there. She hands me the open can and spoon,

"What happened to you?" she asks, "after the antivirus was released we searched for you… we searched everywhere, for weeks!"

"The antivirus? That was you?" I dip the spoon into the can of beans, take a mouthful before putting it aside and reach for the water instead.

"Alice released it," she explains briefly. Her eyes crease, she wants me to answer her first question. I drink from the bottle of water and clear my throat.

"I was taken from Arcadia, to a secret military location for questioning. Wesker wanted to defeat Alice, and I was going to help them, or so they thought. When I refused they injected me with the T-virus. I was on the brink of turning when something happened…" I look up, Claire nods,

"The antivirus is air bourn" she says softly.

"I owe Alice my life"

"We all do" she says simply and places a hand on my shoulder. "I can't believe you're here" her voice is sincere, and I smile before pulling her into a hug. I can't believe it either.

When I wake up it's dark outside, the last thing I remember is getting cleaned up and digging into that can of beans. I look down at my bandaged arm and flex my hand a couple of times, already it feels a little better. I take to my feet, feeling more stable then earlier. I reach for the bottle, take a drink before I make my way out of the tent. For the first time I'm able to look at the site, there's about 15 tents all of different sizes, and one ugly looking campervan. I smile because I know without a doubt that Claire would have picked that up, naming it a classic. There's a path between tents, lit up by flames from Tiki torches making it easy to navigate towards what I now recognise to be muffled voices coming from up the hill.

When the opening clears I spot a group of people sat around a flickering fire, as I get closer I see Claire sat with a bottle of beer on her own away from the others. She looks up at me as I approach, her white teeth catching the glow of the flames as she smiles.

"You should be resting"

"I'm fine" I say simply and sit on the log beside her. She takes a swig from her beer and then passes it to me.

"How's the arm?" she asks as I tip it back, enjoying the taste.

"Fine" I say again, I know how to tease her. She nudges me with her elbow,

"God, it's like you've never been gone" we both laugh and enjoy the comfortable silence, until I hear her sigh.

"Where's Alice?" I ask and watch her look away and take another swig from the bottle.

"She's in the house, on top of the hill" she turns and looks in to the distance behind me. I follow her eyes and see a beautiful manor house in the next field. "She likes to sleep up there," she explains. It's not exactly what she says that confirms things for me, it's the way she says it.

"And you don't?" I ask her. There's a moment of silence, she is sat with her head down, eyes on the bottle in her hands, her fingers prying at the label.

"I can't" she says, her voice tired. Now I understand, they have made a commitment to this place, to the other survivors, putting it and them above themselves. No wonder it's tormenting her.

"After all that you've been through, the sacrifice, the pain, the death, and you can't?" she stares at me, for a moment I see her question herself.

"You don't understand, it's complicated"

"No," I tell her calmly "an apocalypse is complicated, everything else should be easier after that" I watch her face soften, her mouth opens and closes. Whatever she was going to say she doesn't say it. Instead she looks towards the fire, the light flickering across her face. She takes another swig before standing.

"I'm going to…" she pauses, she doesn't want to just leave me here.

"Go" I tell her, "I told you, I'm fine" she nods, giving me the bottle of beer as she walks passed me towards the house.


	4. Chapter 4

(Claire's POV)

How does he do that? How does it he makes it sound so simple? For a moment a feel like I've got this all wrong, that Alice and I should just…, and then I remember the work left to do, the people to look after, there's no time for distractions. "You don't understand" I tell him, "It's complicated". He shakes his head,

"No, an apocalypse is complicated, everything else should be easier after that"

I stare at him as the words wash over me, I've always thought about how hard this is, not how easy it is now the apocalypse is over. Maybe it doesn't get easier, maybe we are waiting on something that will never happen? I look away as I think about it, searching the flames as they dance across the smouldering pile of chopped wood, crackling and popping against the silence. Knowing that we will be together eventually is one thing but knowing it might never happen is something else. Without another thought I stand, body aching to find her, my reasons clear in my mind. But Chris. He watches me hesitate, he sees the inner conflict, should I go to find her or stay with him on his first night here. He tells me to go, and I know by the tone of his voice that he means it. As a thank you I leave him my beer, and then head into the darkness towards the house.

It's a short walk between the fields but it's pitch black and silently earie, the only sound coming from my boots against the grass, and my anxious breathing. I have fought to my near death and not felt nervous, and yet, with what I'm about to do I can't seem to control it. I'm about 100 yards from the house when the radio at my hip crackles. I smile to myself, I knew she would see me walking across the field.

"Claire?" her voice comes through clear. I put the bit to my mouth,

"We need to talk" is all I can tell her. There's a pause, she knows what will happen if I come up, but she doesn't argue.

"I'm at the top, front left room, copy"

"Copy that," I put the radio back on my hip and look at the top window where I know she'll be watching me from, and as I grow closer I see her there with her hands resting on the windowsill, her eyes on me.

I open the front wooden door which sits crooked and squeaks as I push it. The house is dark with no electrics, the wood cold and creaky from the draft - there's broken glass windows in nearly every room. I make my way up the stairs, my footsteps echoing off the empty walls until finally I reach the top. I see the open door to the room she is in. I see the flickering candles against the doorway as I step closer. I see her push away from the window as I enter, she turns and looks at me in the dim light, a wry smile appears on her face. I know what she's thinking before she steps closer, I know that we won't be able to stop ourselves now that we are alone.

"Claire, you shouldn't be here," she says huskily. We move closer to one another, meeting in the middle of the empty room.

"Then, you shouldn't have made it so easy" I tell her and offer her a flirtatious smile. Already she's reaching out, her hand is on my elbow, moving down my arm, her fingers brush against mine,

"You wanted to talk?" she asks, and I nod,

"Alice," she's watching me, watching my lips as I speak.

"Uh huh?" her voice hums as her eyes glance up to meet mine. She's doing her best to not kiss me, I decide to make it easier by taking a slight step backwards, naturally I let go of her hand.

"I've been thinking…" I pause, take a breath "about this, about us"

"I noticed" she raises an eyebrow. She's referring to earlier in the day, when I was daydreaming about that night. I feel my cheeks flush, I smile,

"No not that, I mean, _yes_ , but not just sex," now she's smiling, I grin and shake my head to get back on track. "Look, I've been thinking about us, I know we agreed to wait, but we have a campsite, the house, food and goods, I mean, how settled do we have to be?" She stares at me, and I know she's starting to question herself. "What if there's never a right time? I don't want…"

"Claire," she says my name softly.

"…I don't want to look back to realise it's too late. And I'm tired, tired of pretending, tired of making excuses when a guy asks me out. For once I'd like to tell them truth. I want them to know, I want to look at you from across the room and not worry about who's watching,"

"Claire," she whispers my name again.

"…and wake up beside you and not worry about how long it will be until…" my words are silenced by her mouth now against mine, lips gentle, her hands on my cheeks. The kiss lasts a few seconds before she pulls back to look at me,

"Maybe now is the right time?" she whispers into me. I look in to her green eyes, beautiful against candle light flickering in the space behind her. She assures me in that one look that she is serious, and that there is no right time, there's only now.

"Kiss me again" I ask her, and she does, this time her tongue gently makes its way past my lips caressing mine, and she knows by the sounds I am making that it's undeniably arousing. She knows by the way my hands start to pull at her top, my fingers on the rim of her trousers that I want her, not just for the night but tomorrow and always and I don't care who knows it.


	5. Chapter 5

Alice's POV

I love it when she's all fired up but usually it's in the middle of a fight, or when she's being stubborn about something, not like this, not because of me. The words are spinning off her tongue, a mix of frustration and passion and its making me realise just how hard this has been on her, and can't do it to her, I can't.

"Claire," I try to stop her, but she doesn't hear me.

"…I don't want to look back to realise it's too late. And I'm tired, tired of pretending, tired of making excuses when a guy asks me out. For once I'd like to tell them truth. I want them to know, I want to look at you from across the room and not worry about who's watching,"

"Claire," I try again, and her eyes soften, she takes a breath. I know she's heard me but there's more to say. I'm left with no choice, be it a good one, but to lean over and kiss her. And I do. A quick, simple, delicate kiss. When I feel her relax against my lips I pull back to look at her, her blue eyes search mine in the dim light, she reads me well and I'm sure she knows what I'm about to say but I say it anyway.

"Maybe now is the right time?"

I feel the frustration slip away from her as her hands move to my waist, smile lines appearing at the corner of her lips, a show of white teeth.

"Kiss me again" her voice is low, she's full of desire and it vibrates through me. Her mouth opens as I move forward pressing my lips against hers, I feel her warm tongue roll against mine, she tastes like beer and gasoline.

My hands move into her long dusky red hair while hers travel along the length of my stomach, fingers pulling and sneaking under my top. My muscles flinch under her touch, my body reacts as her thumb glazes over my breast though barely touching.

There's a sense of urgency as our lips part, she looks around us, she's only just realising I don't have a bed here.

"Where, where do you…?" she says between laboured breaths.

"I haven't made one" I tell her as I reach for her belt and begin unbuckling it, "there's the table next door" I suggest with a grin, and she laughs softly as I unbutton her jeans. "Or there's a chair?" I add as I pull on the zip, revealing the lining of her black underwear.

"Or against the wall?" she says, her voice seductive, inviting.

"Mm," I lean into her, slide my arms around her hips and lift her up off her feet. A moment later her backs on the wall, my thigh tightly pushed against her. I feel her hands on my back, nails gently scrapping my skin, her breath against my lips when she asks me to touch her. I've already unbuttoned her jeans so it's easy enough to slip my hand down between us. The space is quickly filled with heavy breathing, her soft moans and desperate lips. The candles flicker as the air becomes heated, walls creaking around us as if the house is alive. My stomach tightens as she whispers my name in husky broken breaths, the hum of her pleasure urging me on. And as she looks at me in those final moments, just before her head falls back, before she is lost to incoherent murmurs and breathlessness, I know that I love her. I love her.

She rests her head on my shoulder as the air cools, everything suddenly still and quiet, and I can feel each breath warm on my neck, I can feel her lips smiling between faint kisses as she moves down my collar bone. My hands run through her red hair as she moves lower, lifting my top just enough to put her mouth to my stomach, her tongue warm as it eagerly licks my skin. And her mouth is below my navel, her fingers pulling on my pants. Seconds, that's all it takes before I'm rolling them off my ankles and kicking them away. Now my palms are flat on the wall, and her head is between my legs and god I think this might be the only reason I'm alive. And I know that it is by the way my head falls into the crook of my arm above her, by the way my body softly echoes her movements below, and by the final strike that carries my body into a blissful sea of ecstasy. She is the reason.

We are woken by the front door creaking, by voices calling our names. We lay searching one another before we realise they are coming up. We manage to get dressed before the footsteps reach the top of the stairs, before Kyle walks in. Claire's doing up her belt and I'm doing up my boots. _Smooth!_ His eyes circle the room, there's a makeshift bed in the corner, made from the clean linen that Claire stocks downstairs. He smiles politely,

"Are you still free for today's trip?" he asks, his eyes on Claire. She nods and turns to face me,

"I'll be back before it gets dark," and as she steps away I reach out taking her hand,

"Wait," I say gently pulling her in for a quick kiss. She looks in my eyes, a flirtatious smile.

"I'll see you later" she assures me before walking towards the open door. Kyle stands wide eyed, unable to move, or so it seems. By the time he does Claire is gone, and all he can do is apologise.

I hear the front door close and watch them from the window of the bedroom as they walk across the green. I wait, one, two three, she turns and looks up at the window, I know she can see me. I reach for my radio,

"Eyes ahead, Redfield" I tease. The radio crackles,

"Copy that!" she says laughing, and I watch her walk towards the campsite until she disappears out of sight.


End file.
